BBC ON THIS DAY | 2 | 1987: Negotiator turned hostage 1987: Negotiator turned hostage When Terry Waite went to Beirut in January 1987, he was placing himself in immense danger. The American arms for hostages scandal - the Iran-Contra affair - led to accusations the peace envoy was more CIA stooge than humanitarian negotiator. To confound his critics - and believing himself safe as a representative of the church - Mr Waite left once more for the world's most dangerous city. I know myself well enough to realise I don't have purely altruistic motives. I definitely felt desperately concerned about the hostages and their plight. But also I was devastated by the political action that had been taken, which was duplicitous in my opinion. I felt my pride had been wounded and I wasn't just going to sit down and take that. The story begins the day before I was kidnapped. There was an intermediary in Beirut who was a medical practitioner and I used to meet my contacts in his consulting room.

I went without guards, arms or a locater device I went back to Beirut and for the first few days spent time visiting various people in the town, trying to pick up leads and I didn't get very far. Then the telephone rang and I recognised the voice of my contact and he asked me if I would meet him. I said I would - that's why I was there, I wanted to try and see if we could pick up the negotiation again. I arranged to meet him at the doctor's consulting room and on the evening in question I went there without guards, arms or a locater device. He said, "On previous occasions you've asked to see the hostages." I said, "Yes, I have." He said, "We haven't allowed it, but this time we're going to let you see them, because they're sick and they're very depressed as a result of all these happenings [the US arms for hostages scandal] in recent weeks." 'We will not keep you' I said to him what any sensible person would have said: "If I come with you, you'll keep me." But he denied this. I asked him to give me his hand and assurance that he wouldn't.

He stretched out his hand and said, "We will not keep you". I told him he was asking a great deal and requested 24 hours to think about it. He agreed and said if I wanted to see the hostages I should come back to this place tomorrow night. Emergency I consulted with various people - the advice differed and really the decision was mine. I felt that if I'd been given safe conduct, if the man was telling me the truth and if I didn't go and one of the hostages died, then I'd have to live with my conscience for the rest of my life. And I didn't want to live with a bad conscience. So the next night I went back to the doctor's consulting room and immediately I had the feeling that something was wrong, because as soon as I got there the telephone rang. The doctor answered it and he said, "I'm sorry I've got to leave you, there's an emergency at the hospital." I asked him to wait for a moment until the man came, but he said he had to go now - and he left. And I remember pacing up and down in his consulting room thinking what I should do at this point.

But I thought as I had come so far I should go through with it. Underground garage Then I heard the elevator come up and my contact stepped into the room. I was given a quick body search. I was taken in a car, then we changed cars, then I was blindfolded, then we went to a safe house and I was given a change of clothing. We were moved from house to house in order to shake off a tail. Then after three or four days he said, "Right we're going to see the hostages." I was taken down in the night, put into a van and driven across town. We came to what I believed was an underground garage beneath a block of flats. That was it - I was a hostage, no longer a negotiator I was told to get out of the van and there in the floor there was a trapdoor. He said, "Jump down." I jumped down, was pushed across the room and the door closed behind me and when I took my blindfold off I was in a tiled cell. Then I realised that was it: I was a hostage, no longer a negotiator. You can read Terry Waite's account of his release by clicking on the link in the right hand column.

Terry Waite was kidnapped by the extremist Islamic Jihad group The Archbishop's envoy was held captive for almost five years In Context Terry Waite was freed in November 1991 after almost five years in captivity - most of them in solitary confinement. After his release he wrote a bestselling account of his imprisonment, Taken on Trust, and is now a full time author and lecturer. Witness Stories Secret life of Terry Waite, archbishop’s envoy: from the archive, 28 January 1987 | World news | The Guardian Share on Messenger Close In a sense, Terry Waite was no stranger to disappearance long before he went this time to the Lebanon . He had already disappeared in his own press cuttings. The cuttings libraries of Fleet Street bulge with clippings on the achievements of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s special envoy in freeing hostages during the past seven years. But the man himself, despite his 6ft 8in figure, black beard and blazingly direct eyes, remains incongruously elusive. Waite has consistently shown a reluctance to talk unless it is to the purpose — the purpose being to save the lives of victims, not to inflate himself.

How many of the millions who have regularly seen his face on the small screen know where he was born (Cheshire); who his father was (a police sergeant from a family in trade); where he was educated (Wilmslow county secondary school and the Church Army College); where he lives (Blackheath); whether he is married (her name is Frances); whether he had children (three daughters, one son); what his temperament is (restless, with a loathing for sitting long at a desk); what his clubs are (Travellers, though that might be guessed); and what he believes in apart from Christianity (Jung). Waite constantly quotes the psychiatrist who, of the great three (Freud, Adler, Jung), is most compatible with the religious approach to life, preaching that the individual exists in a collective unconscious that is beyond time and individuality. He listens to Mozart, the most self-effacing and least earthbound of the great composers. It is not the profile of a man who will suddenly lose his sense of identity even if he is in captivity: friends and colleagues insist that he has enormous reserves of both faith and humour to draw upon.

His humour, Canon Michael Moore, chaplain at Hampton Court, said yesterday, was the vital ingredient that enabled Waite to reach all sides. “Unless you have that contact in humour with the other person, you don’t make that progress. He has a very light touch. He is able to collapse in joyful laughter that will draw the whole room into guffaws. But he is sensitive to national sensibilities — he has never put a foot wrong that I know of.” A colleague at Lambeth Palace said Waite was in every sense larger than life. “He strikes me as hardly of this century. He makes me think of one of those great Victorian explorers who went striding across Africa. In a curious way, that’s one of the reasons for his success: he does things that other people would think impossible.” The limbo may have given the envoy time to think about how much longer he can be effective. He has already said he is considering his future. It is unlikely that personal danger will weigh much in his lone but not lonely thoughts. Terry Waite was taken hostage in Beirut on 20 January 1987; he spent almost five years in captivity until his release in November 1991 .

Terry Waite: 'Hope got me through hostage hell and it'll help Ebola crisis victims too' - Mirror Online News Terry Waite: 'Hope got me through hostage hell and it'll help Ebola crisis victims too' Terry, 76, was held hostage in Beirut for almost five years after being kidnapped by an Islamic militia group - now he wants to help victims of the Ebola crisis Share Ordeal: Terry Waite at a scrap metal workshop in South Africa wants to help Ebola victims (Photo: Sunday People) Share Get daily updates directly to your inbox + Subscribe Thank you for subscribing! Could not subscribe, try again laterInvalid Email After nearly five years of torture and being held hostage in a ­darkened cell in Beirut, Terry Waite knows the value of hope. It is what kept him alive through his 1,763 days of lonely hell. It is also what he wants to pass on to young people trying to make lives for themselves in the aftermath of the Ebola crisis in West Africa. Terry co-founded the charity Y Care International in 1984 and the thought of it helping poverty-stricken people ­sustained him in his darkest hours.

Hell: Terry is led away by unidentified man at Beirut International Airport in 1985 (Photo: REUTERS) Terry, now 76, spoke at the London launch of Y Care’s Tools for Recovery, which the Sunday People is backing. He stressed the importance of giving a chance to those who have survived the Ebola outbreak, which has killed more than 11,000 people in 20 months in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. It is nearly 24 years since Terry was freed in November 1991 by his captors. He had been kidnapped in January 1987 by an Islamic militia group in Lebanon while trying to negotiate the release of western hostages, including British ­journalist John McCarthy and teacher Brian Keenan. He had been promised safe conduct but was seized from a go-between’s house. Most of his captivity was spent in ­solitary confinement, he was frequently ­blindfolded and chained to a radiator. Moments from horror: Terry in the last picture before he was taken captive (Photo: Sunday People) Early in his imprisonment he was ­beaten and subjected to a mock execution.

And asthma sufferer Terry, who had no contact with his wife Frances or his four children, was once transported by his ­captors in a ­refrigerator. His family did not know if he was dead or alive for four years, until Brian was released in August 1990. Towards the end of his incarceration he shared a cell with John and US journalist Terry Anderson. Relief: Terry after being released by his captors in Lebanon (Photo: Mirrorpix) Today, the tall and imposing devout Christian is still globe-trotting on behalf of Y Care, which works with the YMCA and other youth organisations. Speaking again to the Sunday People by phone from a poor South African township, he said: “I came through the ordeal because I was able to maintain hope and it is hope we should be able to offer to the poor and disadvantaged of this world. “With the Y Care ­programmes we work to bring skills and insights to young people who have little or nothing. “I understand that position as for ­almost five years I was deprived of normal life as a hostage.

That gave me a unique insight into how so many poor people feel and gave me a greater push to help them help themselves to a better future.” Charitable: The former spiritual leader of the world's Anglicans, Lord Robert Runcie, (l) with Terry (Photo: REUTERS) Terry, who has worked with the Church of England from a young age and is patron of several charities, is still unwavering in his determination to help those in need. “Thankfully Y Care’s work ­continued. I had been the first chairman, and, of course, I couldn’t do that while I was captured.” Terry was a special envoy to then Archbishop of Canterbury Robert Runcie, who took on the cause. “I didn’t have a clue what was going on in the outside world. I was assured in my own mind Y Care’s work would continue.” Two heroes: Nelson Mandela with Terry (Photo: Sunday People) From its humble beginnings following discussion between Terry and two YMCA colleagues, Y Care now works in 22 ­foreign countries. Much of its current focus is in Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Even though Ebola seems to have ­gone from these countries, the disastrous ­economic impact is most ­sharply felt by jobless youngsters in cities such as Monrovia, the Liberian capital. Many who lost loved ones to the disease are now unable to make enough money to support themselves or their families. Y Care’s vital role is in setting up ­training programmes that give school-leavers a chance at a modest income. Helping the poor: Terry meeting young people in South Africa (Photo: Sunday People) During his current South African trip Terry has been accompanied by Clive Knowles, owner of Shropshire-based metalwork firm The Ironworks. They are setting up a new scheme to teach skills to struggling youngsters. It is similar to the Tools for Recovery campaign in Liberia and trains them manufacturing skills in scrap metal. Terry, who now has three grandchildren and lives in Suffolk, said: “The reason Y Care was started was to get to those kids who could never access help, those who just don’t stand a chance in life. “These are the kids you see trying to eke out a living at a crossroads on a dusty road in Africa selling balloons. It is about targeting those kids.

We have developed a whole variety of projects all aimed at ensuring these kids have a viable future. Video Loading Share this video Watch Next “One of the big problems of the future, which we are seeing in Calais, is the mass migration of people and they are mostly people with no opportunities at home, in places with a lot of disturbances. “The richer are getting richer and the poorer are getting poorer, much as in the UK, but it is more pronounced in Africa. “You have to deal with the root ­problems at home: corruption, lack of opportunity and lack of jobs. We’re trying to tackle that at root, to make their lives at least tolerable.” Many experts believe the Ebola death toll is far higher than the official 11,000 as ­families refused to declare bereavements to avoid isolation wards. Emotional: Terry Waite on his return to Beirut (Photo: Sunday People) In June, Liberia was declared Ebola-free. Now Sierra Leone is on a ­countdown until it achieves the same goal after its last infected patient danced out of a treatment ­centre last week. Authorities are confident the worst is over but ­residents of Liberia’s slums still have to take care.

Many benefiting from Y Care’s funding have been trained to advise others on hygiene and sanitation to prevent a reoccurrence of Ebola. The Monrovia slum of West Point, which is at the heart of the Tools for Recovery appeal, was the epicentre of last year’s outbreak. A place where clean water is at a premium and regularly washing hands is a lifesaver. The trio Terry wanted to release Release: John McCarthy was freed after spending more than five years in captivity in Lebanon (Photo: PA) Terry was trying to free Brian Keenan, John McCarthy and Terry Anderson. English teacher Brian, now 64, was kidnapped in April 1986 and freed in August 1990. Since then he has written the acclaimed autobiography An Evil Cradling and now lives in Dublin. Journalist John, 58, was also taken in April 1986 but not freed until August 1991. He worked on Radio 4 and now gives inspiring talks. US journalist Terry, now 67 and teaching journalism in Florida, was taken from March 1985 to December 1991.

David Belgrove, Ambassador to Liberia on Ebola aftermath Aftermath: A burial team removes a woman's body after she died of Ebola (Photo: Kieran Kesner / Rex) The UK Government, in partnership with charities such as Y Care International, is giving communities the tools and training they need to return Liberia to normality, creating jobs and building businesses. The battle against Ebola was won at community level. It’s important that that is built on in the face other challenges in Liberia – such as the thousands of children orphaned by the disease. Liberia has pulled itself back from the brink but its recovery will take time and a lot of help. There are still Ebola advice signs and ever-present hand washing and temperature taking at government buildings, shops and restaurants but Monrovia is getting back to its bustling self. In pictures - Liberia declared free of Ebola: BBC ON THIS DAY | 2 | 1987: Peace envoy imprisoned in Beirut About This Site | Text Only 1987: Peace envoy imprisoned in Beirut Reports from Lebanon say Church of England envoy Terry Waite has been kidnapped by an Islamic militia group.

Mr Waite, 47, disappeared on 20 January, eight days after arriving in the capital, Beirut, to try to free four hostages, including British journalist John McCarthy. Waite is arrested now Nabih Berri, Shia Amal leader News of his imprisonment came after key militiamen from the Shia Amal and Druze factions held separate meetings with Vice-President Khaddam of Syria in Damascus. Shia Amal leader Nabih Berri said: "What I know is that Waite is arrested now." Druze warlord leader Walid Jumblatt - whose group guaranteed Mr Waite's safety before he left the UK - supported Mr Berri's statement. Western diplomatic sources believe he is the only man with the power and will to rescue the peace envoy. The Islamic Jihad organisation has released a photograph of one of the men Mr Waite was looking for - Terry Andersen - with a threat to kill him and other hostages if the US pursues military action against Lebanon. They made no mention of Mr Waite but British diplomats believe he disappeared after arranging a late night meeting with them in West Beirut without his Druze bodyguards.

Islamic Jihad - of which Shia Amal is a part - has reiterated demands for the release of 17 Arabs jailed in Kuwait for bombing offences there in 1983. Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Robert Runcie has revealed he appealed to the speaker of the Iranian Parliament - Hashemi Rafsanjani - last week to help retrieve his missing envoy. Mr Rafsanjani - the second most powerful man in Iran - told a news conference he was prepared to use his influence to try and find Mr Waite since he was a humanitarian. In England churches of all denominations offered prayers for Mr Waite's safe return yesterday. His wife Frances and their four children are being consoled in their parish of Blackheath, London. Fairfield University - Former hostage and author Terry Waite to speak on faith and public service at Fairfield University's Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts Fairfield University Buy Stags Gear Former hostage and author Terry Waite to speak on faith and public service at Fairfield University's Regina A.

Quick Center for the Arts Humanitarian and author Terry Waite, a former hostage negotiator who was once held hostage for nearly five years himself, will present the inaugural lecture for the Ignatian Residential College at Fairfield University on Monday, April 14, at 7:30 p.m., at the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts. The lecture/discussion, entitled "Personal Faith, Public Service" is part of the Open VISIONS Forum, a program of University College. A generous gift from the Lilly Endowment funded the establishment of the Ignatian Residential College, an academic program for selected Fairfield University sophomores. Students in the program live together in Loyola Hall, enroll in specially designed Ignatian College courses and engage with adult mentors in small mentoring communities. In addition, they have opportunities to participate in special lectures, cultural events, communal worship and partnerships with local faith communities. Waite's lecture topic is an apt reflection of his life. With a keen interest in humanitarian concerns, international relations and conflict resolution, he drew international attention in the 1980s by successfully negotiating the release of hostages in Iran and Libya.

His life took a fateful turn in 1987, when, while negotiating for the release of Western hostages in Beirut, he was taken into custody. He spent five years in captivity, four of which were spent in solitary confinement. In the years that followed his ordeal, Waite has written three books, including a memoir of his detainment, "Taken on Trust" (Bantam Books, 1994). He lectures extensively and works with humanitarian groups striving for compassion and understanding around the globe. "We put so much emphasis on political agreement, but a lot more work has to be put into human understanding between cultures," Waite told a reporter recently. "We must learn how to live with differences. We don't all have to be the same, and we shouldn't be." Born in Cheshire, England, in 1939, Waite sought higher education in London. Upon graduating from college, he was appointed Education Advisor to the Anglican Bishop of Bristol, England, a post he held until he moved to East Africa in 1969. In Uganda, he worked as Provincial Training Advisor to the first African Anglican Archbishop of Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi, a job that meant extensive travel throughout East Africa.

Waite, his wife, Frances, and their four children, were in Uganda during the Edi Amin coup. From his office in Kampala, Waite founded the Southern Sudan Project and was responsible for developing programs for aid and development for this war-torn region. In 1972, Waite was invited to work as an International Consultant to a Roman Catholic medical order. From his family's new home base in Rome, he traveled throughout Europe, Asia, Africa and North and South America, conducting and advising programs that fostered intercultural relations, development, health and education. In 1980, the Archbishop of Canterbury made Waite part of his private staff. As an advisor, he was responsible for many of the archbishop's diplomatic and ecclesiastical exchanges. Two year later, he successfully negotiated the release of several hostages in Iran after Ayatollah Khomeini's revolution. In 1983, he negotiated with Colonel Muammar Khadafi for release of British hostages in Libya. However, in January 1987, while in talks for the release of Western hostages in Lebanon, Waite was taken captive by Shiite Muslims.

He lived in a tiny room with metal shutters on the windows and no natural light. His feet and hands were often chained to the wall and he was blindfolded whenever someone entered the room. He had no books or news from his family or the outside world. "I have a greater understanding of people now," he has said of his experience. "I know what is is like not to have any human dignity, to be pushed around, to be sick and not have medicine. "The ordeal has made me stronger. I would not want to go through it again. The experience has marked me but not negatively." Following his release in September 1991, Waite wrote "Taken on Trust," an international bestseller, and devoted himself to studying, writing, lecturing and participating in humanitarian efforts. His second book, "Footfalls in Memory: Reflections from Solitude," (Doubleday, 1997) is a collection of poetry, prayers and prose that he read throughout his life and used to maintain hope and peace throughout his captivity.

In addition to his writing, Waite is founder/chairman of Y Care, the international development wing of the British YMCA, and founder/trustee of the Butler Trust, a group that works in prisons in the United Kingdom. He is also a member of the Advisory Council of Victim Support. In 1992, Queen Elizabeth II awarded Waite the rank of Commander of the Order of the British Empire. He was the 1985 BBC Man of the Year, is a recipient of the Roosevelt Four Freedoms Medal and has honorary degrees from the University of Kent at Canterbury, the University of the City of London, Liverpool University, Yale University Divinity School and several other institutions. Waite said his ordeal has left him with a better understanding of hatred and, ultimately, justice. "Violence is no way to seek solutions," he has said. "I'm utterly and absolutely convinced that hostage-taking is a secondary factor, and the primary factor is injustice. We must begin to tackle radically those situations where people are living in deprivation." Tickets for Waite's lecture are $18, $15 for students and senior citizens.

For tickets, call the Quick Center box office at (203) 254-4010 or toll free at 1-877-ARTS-396. For more information, visit the website, Media Contact: Nancy Habetz, (203) 254-4000, ext. 2647, nhabetz@fairfield.edu Posted on March 19, 2003 Vol. 35, No.

234 1987 - Historical Events - On This Day On This Day Events 1 - 200 of 828 Jan 1 60 bodies recovered in Dupont Plaza Hotel fire in Puerto Rico Jan 1 China's rudimentary civil code in effect Jan 1 International Year of Shelter for Homeless begins Jan 1 73rd Rose Bowl: #7 Arizona State beats #4 Michigan, 22-15 Jan 1 53rd Sugar Bowl: #6 Nebraska beats #5 LSU, 30-15 Jan 1 53rd Orange Bowl: #3 Oklahoma beats #9 Arkansas, 42-8 Jan 2 Troops of Chad President Habré conquer Fada oasis Jan 2 16th Fiesta Bowl: #2 Penn State beats #1 Miami, 14-10 Jan 3 "Oh Coward!" closes at Helen Hayes Theater NYC after 56 performances Jan 3 "Smile" closes at Lunt-Fontanne Theater NYC after 48 performances Jan 3 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inducts 1st female artist Aretha Franklin Jan 4 16 die in a train crash in Chase Md Jan

 5 Surrogate Baby M case begins in Hackensack, NJ Jan 6 100th US Congress convenes Jan 6 Astronomers at University of California see 1st sight of birth of a galaxy Jan 7 French airplanes harass Libyan positions in Duadi Doum Event of Interest Jan 7 Kapil Dev takes his 300th Test wicket, at 28 the youngest Cricketer Jan 8 Dow Jones closes above 2,000 for 1st time (2,002.25) Jan 8 Jack Sikma (Milwaukee) begins NBA free throw streak of 51 games Jan 9 Chinese/Vietnamese border fights, 1,500 killed Jan 9 New Nicaraguan constitution takes effect Jan 11 Largest crowd (76,633) at NFL NY Giant Stadium (beat Wash 17-0) Event of Interest Jan 11 "The Drive" game: trailing Cleveland Browns 20-13 with 5:32 remaining in the AFC Championship Game, Denver quarterback John Elway drives his team 98 yards for a touchdown to tie, Broncos then win in overtime advancing to Super Bowl XXI NFL

 Quarterback Jan 11 AFC Championship Game: Denver Broncos beat Cleveland Browns 23-20 (OT) Jan 11 NFC Championship Game: New York Giants beat Washington Redskins 17-0 Event of Interest Jan 12 Britain's Prince Edward resigns from his Royal Marines training Earl of Wessex Jan 13 Seven top New York City Mafia bosses sentenced to 100 years in prison each Jan 13 West German police arrest Mohammed Ali Hamadi, suspect in 1985 hijacking Jan 14 Catfish Hunter & Billy Williams are elected to Baseball Hall of Fame Jan 15 A police officer who mistakenly shot and paralysed an innocent woman in Brixton, UK, is cleared of all criminal charges Event of Interest Jan 17 US President Reagan signs secret order permitting covert sale of arms to Iran US President & Actor Jan 18 3rd Soap Opera Digest Awards - Days of Our Lives wins Jan 19 Guy Hunt becomes Alabama's 1st Republican governor since 1874 Jan 20 Anglican Church envoy Terry Waite taken hostage in Beirut, Lebanon by Islamic militia group Jan 20 Rhino Records 1st #1, Billy Vera & Beaters'

 "At This Moment" Event of Interest Jan 20 8th ACE Cable Awards: Ted Turner wins the Golden CableACE Founder of CNN Jan 20 Bank robber Robert A.

Litchfield is arrested at Lake Tahoe Bank Robber Jan 20 UK Police crackdown on soccer hooligans in biggest operation against violence around football stadiums Event of Interest Jan 21 B.B. King donates his 7,000 record collection to the University of Mississippi Blues Musician Jan 21 B.B. King is inducted into the "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame" Hall of Fame Jan 21 Muddy Waters is inducted into the "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame" Blues Musician Muddy Waters Jan 22 Blizzard in NJ, as 334 attend Devils-Flame NHL game, NJ wins 7-5 Jan 22 Pennsylvania politician R. Budd Dwyer shoots and kills himself at a press conference on live national television, leading to debates on boundaries in journalism.

Jan 23 Dow Jones rises 64 points then drops 110 points (44.15 pt loss) Jan 23 Japan 1st exceeds military spending cap of 1% of GNP ($23 billion) Jan 25 Super Bowl XXI: NY Giants beat Denver Broncos, 39-20 in Pasadena Super Bowl MVP: Phil Simms, NY Giants, QB Tennis Open Jan 25 75th Men's Australian Open: Stefan Edberg beats Pat Cash (6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 5-7, 6-3) Tennis Player Wimbledon Champion Jan 25 75th Women's Australian Open: Hana Mandlikova beats Martina Navratilova (7-5, 7-6) Tennis Player and Four-Time Major Champion Jan 25 3rd Sundance Film Festival: "Waiting for the Moon" and "The Trouble with Dick" (tie) win Grand Jury Prize Dramatic Music Awards Jan 26 14th American Music Awards: Whitney Houston , Lionel Richie & Alabama Singer and actress Jan 26 Hart Foundation beat British Bulldogs for WWF tag team title Jan 27 Midnight

 Rockers beat Buddy Rose & Doug Somers for AWA World Tag Team Jan 28 US Foreign minister George Shultz meets ANC-leader Oliver Tambo Jan 28 Wrestler Jim Neidhart indicted for assaulting a flight attendant Event of Interest Jan 29 Lisa files for separation from husband NY Met Darryl Strawberry Baseball Player Jan 29 William J Casey , ends term as 13th director of CIA CIA Director Jan 29 The president of the Philippines puts down a rebellion against their government in Manila Film and TV Awards Jan 31 44th Golden Globes: Platoon, Bob Hoskins, & Marlee Matlin win Deaf Actress Jan 31 United Steel workers union ratified a concessionary with USX Corp Feb 1 163 day strike against Deere & Co ends, workers accept wage freeze Feb 1 38,873 NBA crowd watch Chicago at Detroit Feb 1 Kathy Postlewait wins LPGA Mazda Golf Classic Feb 1 NFL Pro Bowl: AFC beats NFC 10-6 Feb 2 KC Royal pitcher Dennis Leonard (3X 20 game winner), retires Feb 2 Philippines adopts constitution Feb 3 Expos trade Jeff Reardon to Twins for

 Neal Heaton Feb 3 SD Yacht Club celebrates return of America's Cup Feb 4 US President Reagan 's veto of Clean Water Act is overridden by Congress Feb 4 Stars & Stripes beats Australia's Kookaburra 3, sweeps America's Cup Feb 4 Sacramento Kings score only 4 points 1st quarter against Lakers; fewest in a period since introduction of 24 second shot-clock in 1954 Feb 5 Dow Jones avg closes above 2,200 for 1st time Feb 5 Soyuz TM-2 launches Feb 6 No-smoking rules take effect in US federal buildings Feb 6 US female Figure Skating championship won by Jill Trenary Feb 7 "Ronnies Rap" by Ron & DC Crew peaks at #93 Feb 7 Dennis Conner & Stars & Stripes bring the America's Cup back to US #1 in the Charts Madonna Feb 7 US male Figure Skating championship won by Brian Boitano Feb 7 Police in South Korea make hundreds of arrests during protest demonstrations, the country's biggest for 6 years, after a student died in custody Feb 8 37th NBA All-Star Game: West beats East 154

-149 (OT) at Seattle Feb 8 Nancy Lopez wins LPGA Sarasota Golf Classic Feb 9 Former national security adviser Robert McFarlane attempts suicide Feb 9 NY Stock Exch installs ladies restroom in the Exchange Luncheon Club Feb 10 Philippine troops murder 17 civilians in Lupao Massacre Feb 11 British Airways begins trading stocks Feb 11 England beat Australia 2-0 to win cricket's World Series Cup Feb 11 Philippines constitution goes into effect Feb 11 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site Feb 12 Survivors of a black man murdered by KKK members awarded $7 M damages Feb 13 Tigers' Jack Morris awarded $1.85 million salary by arbitrator Feb 14 53,745 largest NBA crowd to date-Philadelphia at Detroit Feb 15 ABC-TV begins broadcasting "Amerika" mini-series Feb 15 Karlstad skates world record 10km (14:03,92) Feb 15 Nikolai Guljajev becomes world champion skater Feb 15 Craig Stadler disqualified from Andy Williams Open for kneeling on a towel to make a shot Feb 15 29

th Daytona 500: Bill Elliott wins (176.263 MPH) Feb 16 John Demjanjuk, accused of being "Ivan the Terrible" trial begins Feb 17 Don Mattingly wins highest salary arbitration ($1,975,000 per year) Feb 17 Michelle Renee Royer, 21, (Texas), crowned 36th Miss USA Feb 19 "Stardust" opens at Biltmore Theater NYC for 102 performances Feb 19 Anti-smoking ad airs for 1st time on TV, featuring Yul Brynner: he died of smoking-induced lung cancer on 10th October 1985 Feb 19 Less than a month after re-signing, A's pitcher Vida Blue retires Feb 19 Minnesota sheriff's office arrest FBI's most wanted, Thomas G.

Harrelson Feb 19 US President Reagan lifts trade boycott against Poland Feb 20 Bomb blamed on Unabomber explodes by computer store in Salt Lake City Feb 20 David Hartman quits ABC's "Good Morning America" after 11 years Feb 20 37th Berlin International Film Festival: "The Theme" wins the Golden Bear Feb 21 Cindy Rarick wins LPGA Tsumura Hawaiian Ladies Golf Open Feb 21 Syrian army marches into Beirut Feb 22 Bruno Marie-Rose runs world record 200m indoor (20.36 sec) Feb 23 Dick Howser retires from managing KC Royals, due to brain tumor Feb 23 Russian Writers Union accepts Boris Pasternak posthumous as member Feb 23 Supernova 1987A in LMC 1st seen; 1st naked-eye supernova since 1604 Feb 24 29th Grammy Awards: Higher Love, Graceland, Bruce Hornsby wins Event of Interest Feb 26 Tower Commission probes Iran-Contra affair Feb 26 USSR resumes nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR Feb 26 Wash

 blocks 20 Indiana shots tying NBA regulation game record Feb 27 "Washington Week In Review" 20th anniversary on PBS Feb 27 Donald Regan resigned as White House chief of staff Feb 27 Mike Conley triple jumps world indoor record (17.76m) Feb 27 NCAA cancels SMU's entire 1987 football schedule for gross violations of NCAA rules regarding athletic corruption Mar 1 Jane Geddes wins LPGA Women's Kemper Golf Open Mar 3 Ray Dandridge, 3rd baseman in Negro Leagues, eleected to Hall of Fame Mar 6 6.8 earthquake hits Ecuador, kills 100 Mar 6 Belgium ferry "Herald of Free Enterprise" sinks; 192 die Mar 7 Gavaskar becomes 1st cricket batsman to score 10,000 Test runs Boxing Title Fight Mar 8 17th Easter Seal Telethon raises $35,184,425 Mar 8 David Hookes (306*) Wayne Phillips make 462 stand for S Aust Mar 8 FBI apprehends most wanted Claude L Dallas, Jr in Calif Mar 8 Jane Geddes

 wins LPGA GNA/Glendale Federal Golf Classic Mar 8 Nelli Cooman becomes world champion 60m indoor Mar 8 "A Team" last aired on NBC-TV after 4 years Mar 8 34th ACC Men's Basketball Tournament: NC State beats North Carolina, 68-67 Mar 8 28th SEC Men's Basketball Tournament: Alabama beats LSU, 69-62 Mar 8 8th Big East Men's Basketball Tournament: Georgetown beats Syracuse, 69-59 Mar 9 Chrysler Corp offered to buy American Motors Corp for $1 billion Mar 10 Vatican formal opposition to test-tube fertilization & embryo transfer Mar 11 Wayne Gretzky scores 1,500th NHL point Mar 12 "Les Miserables" opens at Broadway/Imperial NYC for 4000+ performances Event of Interest Mar 15 "Starlight Express" opens at Gershwin Theater NYC for 761 performances Mar 15 "Sweet Charity" closes at Minskoff Theater NYC after 368 performances Mar 15 Last day in Test cricket for Larry Gomes & Joel Garner Mar 15 NZ beat WI

 by 5 wickets in Jeremy Coney's last Test Cricket Mar 15 US Davis Cup team loses to Paraguay Mar 17 IBM releases PC-DOS version 3.3 Mar 17 Sunil Gavaskar ends his Test career with an innings of 96 v Pak Mar 18 Gerber survey find most popular names for newborns (Jessica & Matthew) Mar 18 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site Mar 19 Bonnie Blair skates ladies' world record 500 m (39.43 sec) Mar 19 Fred Currey acquires Greyhound Bus Company Mar 19 Hassanali inaugurated as president of Trinidad & Tobago Mar 19 PTL leader Jim Bakker resigns after sex scandal with Jessica Hahn Mar 19 Yvonne van Gennip skates ladies world record 3 km (4:16.85) Mar 20 FDA approves sale of AZT (AIDS treatment) Mar 20 NASA launches Palapa B2P Mar 20 Soap opera "Capitol" final episode Mar 20 Soviet filmmakers arrive in Hollywood for an entertainment summit Mar 20 Yvonne van Gennip

 skates ladies' world record 5 km (7:20.36) Mar 21 PSV sells soccer player Ruud Gullit to AC Milan (Ÿ17 million) Mar 23 Soap "Bold & Beautiful" premieres Mar 23 US offers military protection to Kuwaiti ships in the Persian Gulf Event of Interest Mar 24 WA win the Sheffield Shield by drawing cricket final vs Victoria Mar 25 Supreme Court rules women/minorities may get jobs if less qualified Mar 26 August Wilson's "Fences" premieres in NYC Mar 26 Hyderabad beat Delhi on 1st innings to win Ranji Trophy Mar 26 NASA launches Fltsatcom-6, it failed to reach orbit Mar 26 National Federation of State High School Associations adopt the college 3 point shot (21 feet) Mar 27 President Habre's troops reconquer Faya Largeau Chad Mar 28 Stacking of Discovery's SRBs gets underway Mar 29 6th NCAA Women's Basketball Championship: Tennessee routs Louisiana 67-44 Mar 29 Pat Bradley wins LPGA Standard Register Turquoise Golf Classic Event of Interest BBC World Service | FAQ | Lebanon hostages released

 Lebanon hostages released Waite heard a BBC programme about himself whilst in captivity In the 1980s, Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, was arguably the most dangerous city in the world.

As civil war engulfed the country, Westerners were at constant risk of being kidnapped and held hostage. Among them were a Belfast-born lecturer at the American University of Beirut, Brian Keenan, and a television journalist John McCarthy. Both were captured by the militant Islamic Jihad group called Islamic Dawn in April 1986. Solitary confinement In the efforts to negotiate the release of these and other hostages, the Archbishop of Canterbury’s envoy Terry Waite went to Beirut. In February 1987, he too was taken. At first nobody knew where Waite had gone, and there were fears he had been killed. A group of journalists was even taken to a spot where they were told he had been buried. In fact Waite was being held in solitary confinement in Beirut, tortured and even made to undergo a mock execution. For four of the five years he was held, he was kept in solitary confinement, often blindfolded and chained to a radiator. Radio through the wall Eventually he realised he was being kept in the same building as other hostages. Using a primitive form of code he found out that his neighbours included John McCarthy and Brian Keenan, who had also undergone torture and other forms of harsh treatment.

Terry Waite takes up the story: "I was in solitary confinement and I used to communicate with hostages in the cell next door by tapping on the wall in code," Waite said. "You can't use Morse code on a wall because you can't differentiate between a dot and a dash, but you can use the laborious code of one for A, two for B, three for C. John Waite, Terry Waite’s cousin, was and a World Service presenter "It was then that I regretted my name was Terry Waite, because it's a long way down the alphabet when you want to communicate your name. "However, I communicated with them, they had a radio and for about nine months I depended on the news being tapped through the wall. In the last six months my captors relented and I was given a small radio. "I listened to the BBC World Service constantly and I was enormously grateful, particularly for the fact that at the time they were broadcasting virtually 24 hours-a-day to the Middle East. "I heard my cousin John broadcasting on Outlook and that meant a great deal to me because John, in a subtle way, got me news from my family.

"He also broadcast on my birthday and played a piece of Bach's organ music for me as a gift from the family. "It was a great source of hope and comfort to me, that something was getting through to me from my family." Messages from Meridian The messages from the other room included cricket scores tapped out by John McCarthy. He remembers how he listened to cricket commentaries on the World Service: “The sound of bat on ball from thousands of miles away was very, very haunting." John Waite, Terry Waite’s cousin and a World Service presenter, recalls how his family’s ordeal ended: "There was a new play opening in London about the hostage situation and the World Service arts programme Meridian asked if I would go along to see this play," says John Waite. "We did the recording - I made my comments and the programme was broadcast.

Question: In which city was Terry Waite taken hostage in 1987?
Answer: Beirut